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Why Japan’s Rail Workers Point at Things

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Re: Why Japan’s Rail Workers Point at Things

#191

Post by finid »

cperciva wrote: post #165
jakub_g wrote: post #32

I noticed the problem on myself on several occasions and kind of invented the same solution. For example, sometimes I would take a medicament mechanically while doing something else and just a few minutes later, forget if I took it or not. Solution: say loud to myself "I'm taking a pill". Another: sometimes I'd lend some amount money to a colleague, and a few weeks later I'd have a hard time figuring whether they gav…

For example, sometimes I would take a medicament mechanically while doing something else and just a few minutes later, forget if I took it or not. Solution: say loud to myself "I'm taking a pill". My solution for this problem: I have a cron job which sends me an email every morning. If I see that email, I 1. Take a pill out of the bottle and put it on my laptop keyboard 2. Delete the email 3. Eat the pill. This seque…

What if there's a network issue that prevented the email from being sent?

Re: Why Japan’s Rail Workers Point at Things

#192

Post by stickfigure »

LeonM wrote: post #168
cperciva wrote: post #165

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For example, sometimes I would take a medicament mechanically while doing something else and just a few minutes later, forget if I took it or not. Solution: say loud to myself "I'm taking a pill". My solution for this problem: I have a cron job which sends me an email every morning. If I see that email, I 1. Take a pill out of the bottle and put it on my laptop keyboard 2. Delete the email 3. Eat the pill. This seque…

Unless you lose state between step 2 and 3.

This can be addressed with a two pill commit protocol.

Re: Why Japan’s Rail Workers Point at Things

#194

Post by username223 »

rukuu001 wrote: post #189
jakub_g wrote: post #32

I noticed the problem on myself on several occasions and kind of invented the same solution. For example, sometimes I would take a medicament mechanically while doing something else and just a few minutes later, forget if I took it or not. Solution: say loud to myself "I'm taking a pill". Another: sometimes I'd lend some amount money to a colleague, and a few weeks later I'd have a hard time figuring whether they gav…

Excellent. I bar the door with my large umbrella so I can't leave without moving it. When running laps I keep count by holding my fingers up in front of my face and saying the lap number out loud. It feels weird, but works for me.

For running laps, I use my thumbs as dividers between fingers, which I can do with very little change to typical running form.

For other stuff, this sounds like a great idea that I should try. How many times have I thought "did I remember to lock the car," then walked back to the parking spot?

Re: Why Japan’s Rail Workers Point at Things

#195

Post by bradknowles »

jonahx wrote: post #182
jakub_g wrote: post #32

I noticed the problem on myself on several occasions and kind of invented the same solution. For example, sometimes I would take a medicament mechanically while doing something else and just a few minutes later, forget if I took it or not. Solution: say loud to myself "I'm taking a pill". Another: sometimes I'd lend some amount money to a colleague, and a few weeks later I'd have a hard time figuring whether they gav…

> I would take a medicament mechanically This is not intended obnoxiously, but I assume English is not your first language (though your English is good) and you'd want to know: "medicament" is an incredibly uncommon way to refer to "medication." In fact, the majority of native English speakers would not recognize it.

With respect, you figured out what he meant, and then you figured out that he's not a native English speaker.

He probably doesn't need to have that fact pointed out to him.

I'm sure there's a better way you could have given the hint to the correct word for the benefit of others who didn't figure out what he meant, and done so without being condescending to the post you were replying to. Yes?

Re: Why Japan’s Rail Workers Point at Things

#196

Post by finid »

rukuu001 wrote: post #189
jakub_g wrote: post #32

I noticed the problem on myself on several occasions and kind of invented the same solution. For example, sometimes I would take a medicament mechanically while doing something else and just a few minutes later, forget if I took it or not. Solution: say loud to myself "I'm taking a pill". Another: sometimes I'd lend some amount money to a colleague, and a few weeks later I'd have a hard time figuring whether they gav…

Excellent. I bar the door with my large umbrella so I can't leave without moving it. When running laps I keep count by holding my fingers up in front of my face and saying the lap number out loud. It feels weird, but works for me.

Well, it's a good thing you did not try to monetize that idea (found a startup), because technology would have rained on your parade...

Re: Why Japan’s Rail Workers Point at Things

#197

Post by cperciva »

finid wrote: post #191
cperciva wrote: post #165

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For example, sometimes I would take a medicament mechanically while doing something else and just a few minutes later, forget if I took it or not. Solution: say loud to myself "I'm taking a pill". My solution for this problem: I have a cron job which sends me an email every morning. If I see that email, I 1. Take a pill out of the bottle and put it on my laptop keyboard 2. Delete the email 3. Eat the pill. This seque…

What if there's a network issue that prevented the email from being sent?

Then I notice that I'm not getting any email. The cron job runs on my mail server.

Re: Why Japan’s Rail Workers Point at Things

#198

Post by Maakuth »

djsumdog wrote: post #187
Maakuth wrote: post #154

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This technique is also useful for software development, and is referred to as rubber duck debugging ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubber_duck_debugging ). Verbalizing your problem lends you another point of view to your thinking and often allows you to discover the problem yourself.

I learned about that once when someone turned around, started explaining the bug, and during the explanation, realised what the issue was. He then said, "Thank you for being my rubber duck." "Your what?" "Look it up."

Indeed :). The background of the term is said to be in some university, which had a rubber duck near the CS teacher rooms. It was mandatory there to first ask help from the rubber duck, before bothering the real teachers. According to the tale, more than half of the students left after talking to the duck.

Re: Why Japan’s Rail Workers Point at Things

#199

Post by amptorn »

tedajax wrote: post #125
Thrillington wrote: post #116

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Absolutely not true in my experience. A cell phone reminder for a one-off is easily missed during my morning routine. A physical motion and/or out-loud speech associated with the event cements it much more effectively.

To add to your argument because I agree with you quite a bit: A post-it stuck on the side of one's monitor seems vastly superior to any sort of app based reminder. It helps that creating the post-it and sticking it somewhere is itself a physical action that is remembered much more than a few taps of a thumb.

In the case of an I.O.U., the sensible approach is to put the note in your wallet alongside your other banknotes and other things which technically count as, or can be redeemed for, money, like coupons and cards. Ideally the I.O.U. should be written by hand by the person who owes you, so the handwriting serves as authentication.

Re: Why Japan’s Rail Workers Point at Things

#200

Post by WalterBright »

It's related to the checklist system used by pilots, which is incredibly effective at reducing mistakes.

The Samurai sword making system is also very ritualized, which enables the complex procedure to be memorized and carried out without mistakes.

Other systems of reducing mistakes are making things rhyme, which adds a bit of redundancy not unlike error-correcting digital codes. Double-entry bookkeeping is another scheme.

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